Pine State News

MECAS results are in, and 37% of Maine male students were considered proficient in science in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Maine Department of Education. This is below the average proficiency level in the state.

The number of boys passing their science test in the state fell by 0.2% in the previous school year.

Compared to other counties across the state, Cumberland County boys were considered the best-performing students in science in the 2022-23 school year.

Once a national leader in academic performance, Maine's public schools have seen a significant decline in recent decades. The state, which consistently ranked first or second in math and reading in the 1990s, now averages 36th nationally in 2022, according to the Maine Policy Institute. Experts attribute this shift, in part, to changes in education policy that have reduced local control and increased burdens on educators.

County	Not Proficient	Proficient	Total Students Tested
Piscataquis County	318	129	447
Knox County	524	293	817
Washington County	626	204	830
Lincoln County	457	392	849
Waldo County	590	274	864
Franklin County	685	272	957
Sagadahoc County	624	398	1,022
Hancock County	822	503	1,325
Somerset County	938	459	1,397
Oxford County	1,227	426	1,653
Aroostook County	1,203	582	1,785
Androscoggin County	2,214	772	2,986
Kennebec County	2,132	1,230	3,362
Penobscot County	2,534	1,472	4,006
York County	3,497	1,964	5,461
Cumberland County	4,422	3,391	7,813
Maine	22,783	13,018	35,801